Two senior politicians, a deputy minister and an opposition party leader have proposed that the sons of kings and chiefs go through compulsory year-long training in the military so they can learn discipline and acquire leadership skills.

UDM president General Bantu Holomisa and AmaHegebe Traditional Council head Chief Phathekile Holomisa, also Labour Deputy Minister, said this would improve the quality of traditional leadership in the country.

Phathekile said an officer training course could be essential for young traditional leaders

Both said this was not militarising traditional leaders, but empowering them as most young royals lack leadership skills.

Bantu said they would ask the SA National Defence Force for the sons of kings and other traditional leaders - after matric - to serve one year in the defence force to learn discipline.

"This can help a lot among the young traditional leaders."

Holomisa said the training they had in mind was not "necessarily" an officers' training, but recruit training with a special package for the young royals. Officer training refers to the training that most military officers must complete before acquiring an officer rank.

In Swaziland, King Mswati III's sons undergo military training.

British royals, including the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles's sons William and Harry, also underwent military training.

The Holomisa cousins were speaking during the traditional initiation homecoming ceremony of Phathekile's eldest son Prince Jongumsobomvu Jongintaba Holomisa, 18, and his regiment of eight men, including six sons of Holomisa royal family members, at Ngqungqu Great Place near Mqanduli.

Chief Holomisa gave his son a spear as sign that he would take over after his father's death as the head of the Holomisa royal family and the tribe's 35 villages.

Justice Deputy Minister John Jeffery, who attended the ceremony, said traditional initiation was a beautiful custom that needed to be preserved for future generations.